The Black of Night
by Barabbus
Summary: AU. When Bella is in a car crash that kills Renee's husband, Bella is left unwanted and alone. What will happen when she encounters the Cullens? Warning: major changes to plot and characters.
1. The Hospital

**A/N: This may not follow the Twilight storyline; in fact, I am not a Twilight fan, but I feel like playing around with the cast so this is the result. Please leave me any suggestions you have and enjoy the ride. –Mira**

All I had heard for days was the beeping of that monitor and the voices of my mother as she tried to hide her concern. She was selfish; I knew this somehow, had always known it, but as she came to see me less and less I knew that she couldn't hide it any longer. Since the accident she had been distant, not guilty but _burdened, _as if it was somehow _my fault _that the truck had hit Phil's car head-on as we were heading home from his last game.

Soon I learned that she had given up on me. She had written me a letter. A _letter _to tell me that she couldn't take any more pain and was letting me go; a _letter _to say that she had put me up for adoption, if I lived that long at least. I probably would; a few broken bones and a small head injury would never kill me. Phil hadn't been so lucky; he hadn't worn his seat belt.

I heard talking outside of my room, the nurse's familiar voice telling someone that I was doing better. A male voice said that he would inspect my head under the bandages and see what the damage was.

I did my best not to stare at the door as he came in. I never had company these days, and the doctor was young with hair the color of wheat and eyes that shined like molten gold when he spoke. He smiled when he came into the room and flipped through my file. "I'm just here to check your head. How do you feel?"

"Fine," I said, and it was the truth. The medicine had assuaged my pain well and I was alive. That would be enough.

His cold hand touched my face as he unwrapped the bandage; he seemed focused now, mechanical. I could feel his fingers probing my head with the precision of a professional. "Does this hurt?"

I shook my head. The only place on my head that hurt these days was the place where the stitches were, and that was beginning to feel normal to me.

"I noticed that you haven't had any visitors this week. Is everything alright?"

I hesitated. "My mom gave up on me... She's giving me up for adoption as soon as I'm released." The words were painful to say. I never thought something like that would happen.

"How odd; I thought that parents were usually more dedicated to their children."

I tried to make small talk. "Do you have children, Doctor?"

He smiled. "Call me Doctor Cullen. I have five, all adopted, relatives of my wife's. They're about your age now, I imagine."

I did my best to smile back. Why couldn't my mom be someone caring like Doctor Cullen? Why didn't my mom want me anymore?

"Doctor, your wife is on the phone." The nurse's head poked through the doorway.

"Tell her I'll be with her in a minute. Bella, you're doing well. Your injuries will heal if they're taken care of and you'll be able to resume your life as normal. I've filed papers to have you transferred to another hospital to be sure that the non-physical damage is taken care of, but for now get some sleep. Good luck."

He walked out the door without another word and I wondered why his wife had called. My thoughts were scattered by the medicine in my IV and I drifted to sleep again, helpless but alive.


	2. The Gift

In his office, Doctor Carlisle Cullen picked up his telephone and connected to line two. He stared at the recent photograph of his family; their too-attractive faces stared back at him, unnatural and haunting. He had taken them one by one to be sure that he would never be alone; he had caught them on their death beds and given them something strange, something _glorious, _and bound them to him forever.

Each of them was beautiful. He had given them life beyond life, and they loved him now. They were _destined _to love him.

"I thought that you were going to look at a new house today." Carlisle's wife Esme bought houses, renovated them and sold them for a profit. She loved the work and the satisfaction of impressing so many people with her skill set, and it gave them a hefty addition to their monthly budget.

"I did. It's _beautiful;_ all you can see is the wilderness, just like you wanted. I hoped that we could move there."

Carlisle was incredulous. "You drove that far north so that we could move to a new house?"

She sighed. "I know that you're tired of avoiding the sun, and with this house you never would have to worry. We could blend in this time, Carlisle. We could almost be human."

Human. The word had become like a curse to him. He hated it when they didn't appreciate the wonderful gift they had given them; he wished that they would stop trying to blend and just accept their roles as superior beings, creatures that had eternity to do all they wanted. "I found a gift for you." His voice was too soft, almost a whisper, but she heard him.

"Carlisle, you don't have to do this. You'll ruin a life –"

"I'm a doctor; I know what's _best." _His voice was cold and full of venom. "I'm saving a life; I'm giving life that could have been lost. I'll come to you in Washington when it's time." He hung up the phone without hesitating. All that he needed was the girl.


	3. Breakfast

When I woke I was in a different bed, covered by a blanket like the ones in the hotels Phil always stayed when he traveled. Had it all been a dream, then? I tried to see my surroundings, but the room was too dark to make out anything but shadows. There were no beeping monitors, no IV attached to me, so this wasn't the hospital; I didn't hear my mom's snores either. Carefully, I slid away from the blanket and let my feet find the hardwood floor.

I stood for the first time in weeks. My legs felt flimsy like wet pasta but I was able to feel my way to the door and turn the knob. The light from the hallway hurt my eyes.

The hallway walls were plain and white; no pictures covered the blandness, and suddenly I felt like I was in an institution. I didn't like empty houses. Other doors lined the hall, all of them closed like mine had been. Something caught my eye: a simple relic, a wooden cross darkened with age that was nailed to the wall. My fingers traced it before I could realize what I was doing; the wood felt ragged on my hands. The image swam in front of me, and my knees buckled under the strain of standing while on medication.

Something like iron caught me in its grasp. I yelped and tried to move, but the grip that held me was too strong to break with the small amount of strength I had. "Relax," a male's voice hissed into my ear. I obeyed.

"Carlisle!" The same voice yelling for help.

"What is it now, Emmett?"

"The girl's just come to; I think she nearly fainted."

"Will all of you stop making such a fuss over this girl?" A woman's voice this time, irritated at me.

"Be quiet, both of you, and make sure that Jasper stays in his room." The man's voice sounded familiar to me but I couldn't identify the speaker. I felt the unbreakable grip release me; new hands, cold and solid as stone, took my arms and brought me to my feet. I turned around to see that I was alone with Dr. Cullen.

"Where am I?"

"That is a question that will take time to answer. Come to the dining room and have breakfast; the others are _dying _to meet you." Doctor Cullen still gripped my arm as he guided me down the staircase. The entire building was bright and open and almost empty, as if no one had been inside since it had been built. A floral smell hung in the air; it wasn't a medical smell.

The dining room was as plain as the others, furnished with only a dining room table and ten chairs. Doctor Cullen guided me to mine and gestured for me to sit; a young woman with hair the color of caramel brought me a plate stacked with bacon and eggs. Her eyes shined the same molten gold as the doctor's; her face was kind, and she was smiling. "Eat something."

I couldn't have guessed that I was so hungry until I smelled the food sitting in front of me. Eating was easy; there was no pain in eating. I heard footsteps in the direction of the doorway. "Do you need help Carlisle, Esme?"

The woman called Esme smiled again, but her smile faded just as fast. "Are you alright, dear?"

"I… I just… I want to _kill her, _Carlisle. Get her out of this house!" He rushed forward, but Carlisle was faster than him. The two collided in an instant and Carlisle restrained him as he writhed, protested, snapped his teeth at me. I rushed to the opposite wall, terrified. The boy's eyes were black and wild with desire; they burned against his pallid skin. His muscles strained against Carlisle's strength; his teeth gleamed in the florescent lighting.

Carlisle threw the boy across the room at last. "Leave!"

Dangerous eyes threatened my life, but the sight of Carlisle ready for another attack made him turn his back and stalk out of the house.

"What _was _that?"

"Eat your breakfast, Bella." Carlisle's voice was cold and demanding.

"I want an answer, Doctor."

He sighed. "You'll _get _an answer if you eat your breakfast and take your pills. Until then, don't think about it."

I was left with no choice but to obey the doctor.


	4. The Revelation

_For the love of _God, _Edward, I thought I taught you to treat guests better! _Carlisle's angered thought echoed in Edward's head as he walked through the forest in search of animals. Surrounded by green, his sense of smell muddled by the rain, Edward began to wonder how he could have been so irrational. He hadn't tasted human blood in decades; why would this girl be special to him?

"You didn't even give me time to adjust! I haven't eaten in a long time." The words were said under his breath, but he knew that Carlisle would hear them somehow.

_You're not Jasper; I didn't think it would be appropriate to be so sensitive with you. That wasn't very Cullen of you._

"That's a queer thing for even _you _to say."

_Of all people, Edward, I had hoped that I could depend on you to resist the smell until the time comes. You're the old one, the lost one – you of all people should have had the chance to bond with someone for once. I fear you may have ruined her sense of security in this house._

"You just want her here because you're bored."

Edward snapped the neck of a squirrel before the creature could feel pain and pierced through its skin. He welcomed the flow of blood into his mouth; it was far from his favorite, but it would have to do.

_I never get bored. I do enjoy occasional additions to our family, and I was hoping that you would indulge me. Her family didn't want her – what's the loss?_

"I would say her life, but I'm not convinced that you care if that gets wasted."

_I care about human life. Her life would be empty… She would blame herself forever. Why am _I _telling _you _this?_

Edward had a revelation in that moment; his muscles went rigid and his lip curled to expose his predator's teeth. "I didn't hear her."

_You were too busy trying to kill her, I imagine._

"It's not that. Something's not right, Carlisle. See if Alice can see her in the future. _Figure this out."_

What the hell was happening to him?


End file.
